Tourists get green card to keep climbing Uluru

TOURISTS will continue to climb Uluru, with the Federal Government announcing the drawcard will remain open until its popularity dwindles or new visitor experiences are developed.

About 100,000 people make the ascent each year but the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park board of management last year called for an end to the practice.

National Parks had wanted to close the climb out of respect for the indigenous owners and safety reasons, but there were also concerns about visitors using the World Heritage-listed rock as a toilet and leaving litter behind.

However, under a new management plan prepared by the board and approved by federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett today, one of three preconditions must be met before the climb is shut down.

These are:

That the number of people climbing Uluru must drop from the current 38 per cent of visitors to fewer than 20 per cent;

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Comments on this story

hohum of oz Posted at 3:01 PM January 08, 2010

Ayers Rock belongs to all Australians . It was here long before humans and will outlast us. It is simply apartheid to distribute any part of this country to racial or ethnic lines. It is Australia and we are Australians.

Comment 1 of 5

Jason of Perth Posted at 3:31 PM January 08, 2010

Thank god for common sense prevailing. Though I'm not sure whether there should be any conditions that will ever stop the climb. It doesn't belong to anyone and should be allowed to be experienced by all.

Comment 2 of 5

thomas vesely of oz Posted at 3:41 PM January 08, 2010

sorry,sorry,sorry??oh,its a sacred site,oh,xxck that,we are making$$$and that is always more important.

Comment 3 of 5

dice1164 of real world Posted at 4:22 PM January 08, 2010

Imagine the outrage should a group of tourists sling a rope over the nearest cathedral or mosque or synagogue, have a look at the view and take a dump on the roof ! Thanks as usual Garrett for putting your almighty dollar ahead of anything culturally or environmentally significant.

Comment 4 of 5

Karen Balstrup Posted at 9:13 AM July 21, 2011

I just visited with my children in the July holidays. I had one of the best holidays ever and I am a single mother. One man, aged about 55, told me he urinated at the top. We walked around Uluru. Our aboriginal guide told us that the waterholes at the bottom are polluted with e coli and that frogs wont live in it. Most other adults at the dinner revealed "what can you say to your teenage son when he wants to climb it?" It's not a theme park. You say No and you explain the significance and you give a good example. Develop his life skills. That is what you do. You need to block it off because Australian adults are hopeless.

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